Revised Literal Translation
Exodus 3:18
18And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, Yhwh God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Yhwh our God.
Exodus 3:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.
- New International Version (NIV)“The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.’
- English Standard Version (ESV)And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.'
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’
Context of Exodus 3:18
16Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, Yhwh God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: 17And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, Yhwh God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Yhwh our God. 19And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. 20And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.
Read all of Exodus 3Exodus 3:18 word by word
וְשָׁמְע֖וּ לְקֹלֶ֑ךָ וּבָאתָ֡ אַתָּה֩ וְזִקְנֵ֨י יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל אֶל־מֶ֣לֶךְ מִצְרַ֗יִם וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֤ם אֵלָיו֙ יְהוָ֞ה אֱלֹהֵ֤י הָֽעִבְרִיִּים֙ נִקְרָ֣ה עָלֵ֔ינוּ וְעַתָּ֗ה נֵֽלֲכָה־נָּ֞א דֶּ֣רֶךְ שְׁלֹ֤שֶׁת יָמִים֙ בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר וְנִזְבְּחָ֖ה לַֽיהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃Read the interlinear
- And they shall hearkenשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
- to thy voiceקוֹלqôl qôl · voiceH6963
- and thou shalt comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- thou and the eldersזָקֵןzâqên · old: elderH2205
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- unto the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- of Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714
- and ye shall sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto him, Yhwhיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- of the Hebrewsעִבְרִי‛ibrîy · HebrewH5680
- hath metקָרָהqârâh · to meetH7136
- with us: and now let us goיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
- we beseech thee, threeשָׁלֹשׁshâlôsh shâlôsh shelôshâh shelôshâh · threeH7969
- days’יוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- journeyדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: journeyH1870
- into the wildernessמִדְבָּרmidbâr · wildernessH4057
- that we may sacrificeזָבַחzâbach · to sacrificeH2076
Cross-references for Exodus 3:18
- Exodus 3:16Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, Yhwh God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:
- Exodus 4:31And the people believed: and when they heard that Yhwh had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
- Joshua 1:17According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only Yhwh thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses.
- 2 Chronicles 30:12Also in Judah the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the commandment of the king and of the princes, by the word of Yhwh.
- Psalms 110:3Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
- Jeremiah 26:5To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened;
- Exodus 5:1And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith Yhwh God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.
- Exodus 7:16And thou shalt say unto him, Yhwh God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.
- Exodus 9:1Then Yhwh said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith Yhwh God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
- Exodus 10:3And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith Yhwh God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.
- Exodus 4:24And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that Yhwh met him, and sought to kill him.
- Exodus 5:3And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto Yhwh our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.
- Exodus 25:22And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
- Exodus 29:42This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before Yhwh: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.
- Exodus 30:6And thou shalt put it before the vail that is by the ark of the testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.
- Genesis 12:1Now Yhwh had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Commentaries on Exodus 3:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18They shall hearken to thy voice - This assurance was necessary to encourage him in an enterprise so dangerous and important. Three days' journey into the wilderness - Evidently intending Mount Sinai, which is reputed to be about three days' journey, the shortest way, from the land of Goshen. In ancient times, distances were computed by the time required to pass over them. Thus, instead of miles, furlongs, etc., it was said, the distance from one place to…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18Three days‘ journey - i. e. a journey which would occupy three days in going and returning. This was a demand quite in accordance with Egyptian customs. The refusal of Pharaoh and the subsequent proceedings were revealed to Moses at once; but it is important to observe that the first request which Pharaoh rejected could have been granted without any damage to Egypt, or any risk of the Israelites passing the strongly-fortified frontier.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-22Verses 16-22 Moses' success with the elders of Israel would be good. God, who, by his grace, inclines the heart, and opens the ear, could say beforehand, They shall hearken to thy voice; for he would make them willing in this day of power. As to Pharaoh, Moses is here told that petitions and persuasions, and humble complaints, would not prevail with him; nor a mighty hand stretched out in signs and wonders. But those will certainly be broken by the power…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18Hebrews: See study note on 1:15. a three-day journey … so that we may sacrifice: If we view the main goal of the exodus as rescuing the Israelites from slavery, this request might seem insincere. But God's main goal was to create a nation for himself. He led them into the wilderness to teach them how to worship him.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 10-2210-22. Come now therefore, and I will send thee--Considering the patriotic views that had formerly animated the breast of Moses, we might have anticipated that no mission could have been more welcome to his heart than to be employed in the national emancipation of Israel. But he evinced great reluctance to it and stated a variety of objections [Ex 3:11, 13; 4:1, 10] all of which were successfully met and removed--and the happy issue of his labors was…Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 3:18
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Exodus 3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
Revised Literal Translation — © 2018 Michael W. Jones, Sr. — GPL
Commentaries